Maybe it’s the heat, or too many cocktails, but there is something very unique about summer romances.
It might be the urgency that makes summer love so passionate, because whether you are staying for a week or a month you always have to say goodbye.
But is right to try and make a lasting thing out of a summer fling?
Long distance relationships are hard work, so it is important to be sure that your fling is really worth it and also that you both feel the same.
Remember people are different stress free versions of themselves on holiday, so the person you meet may not be the exact person they are. This happened to Mischa O’Donnell, 23 from Cambridge, when she met a guy, Chris * on holiday.
“I met Chris on the beach in Spain last summer. He paid for my ice- cream because I had forgotten my purse. We spent the afternoon talking and really hit it off. From that day till the end of our holiday we were inseparable, and we decided to stay together. However when we both got back to Britain, the distance and stresses of our daily life started to interfere, and the relationship wasn’t strong enough to deal with it. We fizzled out, but I would definitely have another holiday romance. It made my trip much more memorable, and you never know what might happen.”
Not all summer romances have to end at the end of the holiday though.
If you both truly care for each other and are willing to work to put the effort in, then it can work out.
Rebeca Taylor, 25 from Bristol and her fiancé Matthew have been together for 3 years. She said “me and Matt met in a hotel in Crete. We shared a wonderful week together and at the end of it, neither of us was ready to leave it. It was hard for us to begin with, we lived quite far away. However on our 2 year anniversary Matt gave me 2 boxes. In one was a beautiful engagement ring in it and in the other was a key to an apartment in Bristol where I live, for both of us. It was the most romantic thing ever. I am so glad I gave my holiday fling a chance.”
So how do you keep the romance once the tan starts to fade?
Rebeca’s top tip is to communicate. “It is important to get to know the “real” person and not just the holiday one. Visit each other in your respective home towns; meet each others friends and family, see how you fit around each others lives.”
It is important to have a balance in any relationship, especially a long distance one and both of you should do equal amounts of travelling, calling etc.
If it doesn’t work out when you get back to real life, then don’t waste time being overly upset. Enjoy the memories of your holiday and concentrate on your home life for a while. Besides, there is always next year! 